Eburnean
by A Little Bird
Summary: "Why are you so hung up on this concept of black and white? There are countless other colors in the spectrum." N x White -retelling of game storyline-
1. Start Me Up, Give It All You Got

**Author's note: *this story was first introduced as 'Expanding One's Pallet' but that sounds uuber dorky, so I changed it to the slightly less dorky 'Eburnean'. this is just a light-hearted and possibly long story, intended to help me develop my writing skills. It's basically a re-account of the Pokemon White & Black plotline, just as a story, so there'll be added stuff to make it more interesting to read (& for me to write). A few notes so people will know what to expect. **

**1. I will use nicknames for most Pokemon. It kinda makes sense, considering not naming a pokemon is like having a dog and calling it Dog. Cheren & N won't be using nicknames though, they're too cool for that.  
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**2. My nicknames will sorta break the 4th wall; that is, they might reference real world people or video games. Similarly, certain bands will exist in some form in this verse. Say, I may reference Blue Oyster Cult by calling them Blue Cloyster Cult, and so forth. Video games exist in this universe as well, which is why many of the characters' Pokemon will have ridiculous names. Think of the Pokemon universe as a Japan/America super world. Or something.**

**3. Oh, yeah, I'm naming the female protagonist chick Ivory. So there. & Hilbert will be go by 'Black' in this story.  
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**4. The main character will start out her journey with a Snivy. And a Deino. *le gaspe!* She'll have it when she starts her journey, just because it would make even less sense for her to capture one later on & randomly have it evolve into a Hydreigon. If she has it from the beginning, there's a chance I won't be barraged with THAT DOESN'T MAKE SENSE when she randomly has a Hydreigon towards the end. I just really like Hydreigon, okay, & my incarnation of Hilda has a Hydreigon because I just really like that pokemon! :D**

**5. Cheren will have an Oshawott & Bianca a Tepig, breaking the traditional rival system. This is for a number of (feeble) reasons. The first is that this is a fanfic, so I can take liberties. Also, since this a story and not a video game, the whole THIS RIVAL WILL ALWAYS HAVE A TYPE ADVANTAGE point doesn't really matter. So in this case, him wanting the starter has nothing to do with what the protagonist picks AND ACTUALLY STEMS FROM HIS OWN PERSONAL PREFERENCE? The final reason is just that I'm shallow. Samurott is blue, Cheren wears blue. Bianca wears orange, Tepig is orange. Eh.**

**6. Black is Ivory's cousin. He lives in Accumula Town. In my story, they're related by their respective mothers being sisters. Black & Ivory are just BFFs. Also, Ivory's a huge tomboy. In my personal head-canon, White is a tough chick, wild child, tomboy, etc. Also, you can just assume that Black lives in that house in Accumula town that has the piano playing dude - Ebony & Ivory!**

**So, here's the story:**

Ivory had barely stepped out of Accumala Town's Poke Center when her ears were assaulted by a well-known voice calling her name - well, not so much 'calling' as 'screeching', or maybe even 'yodeling'. 'Calling' would imply that the sound of the voice didn't grate on her ear drums like a jackhammer. Wincing at the boy's vocal chords, Ivory squinted into the afternoon sunlight until the glare was blocked by an all too familiar figure. Before the girl stood her cousin, Black Ebony, grinning his usual cheesy smile at his younger relative.

"Good to see you, Black." Ivory tipped her hat casually.

"Check _you_ out, Ivory! You're all decked out for your big journey. That's so cute," Black teased, giving her a dramatic once-over. Ivory rolled her eyes and lightly swatted at his shoulder. Black had started out his journey almost a year prior to the day, but he had taken it upon himself to escort his cousin-practically-sister around the region, as he'd already beaten the Gym League. Black had reasoned that he needed to train his team for the Elite Four anyways and he was pleased with the idea of seeing Unova 'through new eyes'.

"It's my first day as a trainer and you want to talk about my outfit? Seriously? You're a disgrace to manly men everywhere." Ivory grinned, pulling out her shiny new pokeball. "Don't you want to know _all about my starter_?"

Brushing off Ivory's characteristic jeering, Black instead chose to focus on the pokeball. "Wicked, I can finally see what the Lab had to offer!" Black hadn't bothered Professor Juniper for a starter, having already received a Panpour from his father. Needing no prompt, Ivory relinquished her hold on the sphere, eager to see the little guy again. A green snake-like creature emerged from the red light, then set its gaze up at Black. The snake looked up at the boy with a subdued sneer, as if he were merely tolerating the kid's presence. Black crouched down to peer at the creature.

"Snooty guy, ain't he? He's the Grass Snake pokemon." Black straightened up from his brief inspection. "No poison type at all?" When Ivory shrugged a negative, Black stated, "Well that's a little lame. What kind of snake doesn't have venom?" This was quickly met with a yelp of pain as the Snivy smacked its tail against the boy's shin. "Alright, alright. What'd you name him, anyways?" He shook his foot a little, as he waited for Ivory's chortles to subside.

"Excalibur," she answered sunnily.

"Oh, like from that one anime?" Black bent down to study the Snivy. "I guess he kinda looks like the dude from that show, but it's a little dumb just as a nickname, isn't it?" This time he managed to dodge the snake's swipe at his leg.

"It's not just his appearance. The little guy's totally eccentric," Ivory smiled. The Snivy seemed to interpret this as a compliment, practically aglow with arrogance. "For one, he has this alternate ability that most of his kind aren't found with. 'Contrary', I think?"

"Makes sense - he seems to take everything the wrong way. Stop that!" Black added as he side-stepped another attack.

"Beside that, Professor Juniper said a bunch of trainers had actually passed up a chance to journey with the fella because they couldn't bond with him at all. Apparently he doesn't get along well with people. Juniper said he might be difficult to handle, but I think he's great! Besides, who would turn down a Pokemon anyways? Especially a _snake _Pokemon?" Ivory asked with disbelief.

"Yeah, I can't imagine_ anyone _not wanting to travel with him," Black snarked, already maneuvering away from the Snivy's tail.

Ivory rolled her eyes, but was then distracted by a sight behind her cousin. A crowd was gathering, murmuring amongst themselves, but all facing the same direction. What they were all staring at, Ivory couldn't quite see. Curious, Ivory scooped up Excalibur and stepped towards the commotion without a word. ("Oh, no, that's fine. We'll pick this up later. I was going to purchase some supplies anyways," Black grumbled after her.) Threading herself through the crowd, she eventually found a spot from which she could see. In her new location, she saw an assembly of oddly dressed mean and women. The most gaudily dressed of the group cleared his throat authoritatively and spoke to the suddenly quiet and attentive mass of people.

"...My name is Ghetsis. I am here representing Team Plasma. Today, ladies and gentlemen, I would like to talk to you about Pokémon liberation."

_Liberation? From what? _Ivory wondered.

"I'm sure most of you believe that we humans and Pokémon are partners that have come to live together because we want and need each other. However... Is that really the truth? Have you ever considered that perhaps we humans... only assume that this is the truth?"

Ivory scowled, sensing where the speech was heading.

"Pokémon are subject to the selfish commands of Trainers... They get pushed around when they are our 'partners' at work... Can anyone say with confidence that there is no truth in what I'm saying? Now, ladies and gentlemen, Pokémon are different from humans. They are living beings that contain unknown potential. They are living beings from whom we humans have much to learn. Tell me, what is our responsibility toward these wonderful beings called Pokémon?"

"Liberation?..." a voice mumbled.

"That's right! We must liberate the Pokémon! Then, and only then, will humans and Pokémon truly be equals. Everyone, I end my words here today by imploring you to consider the relationship between people and Pokémon... and the correct way to proceed. We sincerely appreciate your attention."

Ivory raised her eyebrows as she watched the assembly depart in an ostentatious display of commands and straight lines. 'Departing in an orderly fashion' took on new meaning with these guys.

"Quite a spectacle, wasn't it?" Ivory nearly jumped out of her skin as the voice addressed her. Ivory turned to see Cheren standing calmly beside her, one hand in his pocket, the other adjusting his glasses.

"Er, yeah," she answered awkwardly, trying to hide her surprise at his sudden presence. Cheren had an odd tendency to materialize from thin air; she swore he hadn't been next to her during the speech. "Wonder if any one agrees with them?" Ivory glanced once more at the retreating backs of the organization, before shaking her head in exasperated wonder. _Seems like a dumb concept to try selling: Pokemon being oppressed by humans? As if! _She affectionately adjusted her hold on Excalibur so that the pokemon was perched on her shoulder. As she handled the Snivy, Ivory couldn't imagine anybody wanting to cause discomfort to such wonderful creatures. The green snake reached for an armful of her admittedly voluminous hair and set out to creating a suitable armchair from the soft strands.

Cheren watched the Snivy dully. "Is that still the only Pokemon you have? Why didn't you catch another one on the route like Bianca and myself?" Bianca had caught a Lilipup, and Cheren himself had managed to land a cat pokemon that he'd claimed was unheard of being found in the Route 1 area.

Ivory shrugged in reply to Cheren's inquiry. Her Snivy was all she needed, all she _wanted_, so far. She hadn't seen another creature she was interested in yet. Excalibur seemed to agree, as he made a sneering face at the raven-haired teen.

-_Fool! My companion requires no other friend!-_

A foreign voice interrupted the pair. "Your Pokemon..." Looking over, Ivory spotted another person in their vicinity. It was a green-haired boy facing the two, apparently speaking to Ivory, though his gaze was trained on Excalibur. "Just now, it was saying-"

"Pokemon don't talk. What are you on about?" Cheren clipped in.

"Chill out, Cheren," Ivory murmured, eying the green-haired boy curiously. "What did he say?" she directed the question at the stranger.

The stranger sighed, rather than answering. "So neither of you can hear him. How sad." Cheren and Ivory balked, both startled and a bit offended by his statement. The boy took no notice and instead continued smoothly, "My name is N. You're both trainers, right?"

Cheren nodded, taking the lead. Subtly, he moved in front of Ivory, somewhat blocking the other boy's view of her and Excalibur. "That's correct. We've both been asked to gather information on the region's Pokemon for Professor Juniper's pokedex." Cheren stated it frostily. He was apparently trying to intimidate the other boy with their 'prestige'.

"The pokedex, eh? So, you're going to confine many, many Pokemon inside pokeballs for that, then?" Ivory lowered her gaze. She didn't want to think of their captures that way. The boy - N - shifted his gaze to the sky, bemused. "I'm a trainer too," he admitted, "but I can't help wondering... Are Pokemon really happy that way?"

Cheren began steering Ivory and himself away from the guy. "Well, you make an interesting point, but Ivory and I have to-"

"Ivory is it?" N's eyes slid from the sky to hers in a heartbeat. "That's a pretty name," he stated. It didn't come across as a compliment, rather his genuine opinion. "Well then, Ivory, let me hear your Pokemon's voice again." This said, he conjured up a pokeball and dropped it to the concrete street. A dark alley cat creature appeared from the red light. It stood smug, in the the middle of the streets, eyeing Ivory with a sense of superiority.

"Wow, that looks like a Dark-type," Ivory breathed appreciatively. "I wonder where he found it?"

"Uh, Ivory? Not that it isn't a good Pokemon or anything, but I think he wants to battle you," Cheren pointed out tactfully.

Ivory's forehead scrunched up. "Really? Why doesn't anybody just _say _that anymore?" Excalibur leapt from her hair down to the street and assumed his fighting stance. The battle began.

"Purrloin, use Growl," N spoke.

"Right! Excalibur, let's start out with Wrap!" Ivory advised, as the Snivy leapt into action. Behind her, she felt Cheren back up to better observe the fight. The kitten-thing let out a squeak, jolting Excalibur's motion at the last second. He still managed to bind the feline in grass ropes in limited time, but Growl had left them looser than he'd intended. Wrap wouldn't last very long.

"That's alright, she was just a bit faster," Ivory placated Excalibur and his wounded pride.

"This Pokemon is a male," N corrected from across the street. "Now, Purrloin, Scratch your way out of that bind!"

"I believe Excalibur used Wrap, not Bind," Ivory muttered to herself.

"Um, Ivory? Not really the time," Cheren voiced behind here, more attentive to the battle.

Ivory spotted the damage Purrloin was wreaking on the green bindings and allowed that Cheren might have a point. "Um, Excalibur, use Tackle while she- er, he's still tied up!" Excalibur obeyed, throwing his tiny body against the cat creature, sending it skidding across the street. The cat-creature managed to roll with the hit, and when it stood up the leafy wrappings broke off. "That's alright! Hit it from long distance with Vine Whip!" Green tentacle-like vines shot from Excalibur's collar, heading rapidly towards N's Pokemon.

"Retaliate with Scratch!" N commanded, eyes hardened with equal parts concern and determination. Following his words, the cat batted at the two menaces. One of Excalibur's vines was snagged by the cat's paw, but the other one followed through, smacking at the feline. Though the cat flinched with every strike, it kept hold on the vine. Excalibur winced, but repeated the tactic, smacking at Purrloin until it would release his other vine. Both re-doubled their efforts, but they only managed to cause each other more pain rather than gain any advantage.

Glancing around in frustration, Ivory's gaze settled on N's face; he was staring at the two creatures engaged in battle, a delicately somber emotion clouding his eyes. Ivory tore her eyes away and re-focused on the battle. Right now she had to look out for her partner. Suddenly she was struck with an idea. "Excalibur! Pull Purrloin in for another Tackle!"

The Snivy's eyes lit up at the order, relieved to be given another option. Quickly, he reigned his vines in, at the same time running at the feline for a second Tackle. Excalibur collided heavily against the cat using the shoulder of his body, and the force sent both critters flying towards N.

N broke out of his reverie, adjusting his position below the cannonball battlers until both landed safely in his arms. Ivory sighed in relief, then rushed forward to retrieve her somewhat battered Snivy. Purrloin was knocked out, luckily. Excalibur had won.

"Nice win, Ivory," Cheren praised behind her.

"Thanks," Ivory replied absently as she inspected Excalibur's injuries. He was in okay shape, actually: a little shaken from that last Tackle, and one of his vines still hung out of his second fold of skin, scratch marks painfully visible in a dull red, but otherwise he seemed fine. "Thank goodness it wasn't worse," Ivory sighed briefly. Then she knuckle-punched the Snivy. "Nice work, Excalibur! Your legendary strength astounds me." Her Snivy smirked at the remark, pleased to have his ego stroked, regardless of Ivory's exaggeration.

"I never expected to hear Pokemon say such things," N murmured to himself. He stared at Ivory. "You battled very well. The Snivy seems to trust you. I didn't expect that of a trainer. But as long as Pokemon are confined in capsules, Pokemon will never become perfect beings." Again, N raised his head, as if speaking to others beyond Ivory and Cheren. "I have to change the world for Pokemon, because they're my friends."

"And what, they aren't ours?" Cheren asked a bit harshly, ruining N's moment.

N blinked, remembering the two again. He inclined his head at Ivory's Snivy. "Be sure to heal that one back to full health."

"Of course. You too..." Ivory returned, but N had already turned on his heel, walking off into the city, the Purrloin cradled in his arms. Cheren and Ivory stared after him.

"A whackjob if I ever saw one," Cheren declared bluntly. Ivory tilted her head, considering the statement.

"He certainly did give off some odd vibes," she allowed. _But he seemed deeper than your average weirdo; that moment when we were battling... he looked so sad. And when his Pokemon was finally defeated, he seemed so resigned. Seems like he really hates battling._ It made her contemplative, and a tiny bit sad even, what he had seen in that moment of violence. But there was more to battling than simply causing harm to the opponent.

"... Did you hear me Ivory?"

"Sorry, what?"

"Space cadet," Cheren muttered. "I said that I'm going to go on ahead to work on my pokedex. I want to update it with more than just Purrloin, like that guy had."

Ivory blinked. "Purrloin? Is that what it was?"

"He called it that like twelve times."

"I thought it was a nickname!"

Cheren rolled his eyes. "Not everybody insists on making their Pokemon looks like fools. Besides, you should know what a Purrloin is, since that was what I caught on Route 1. They're pretty common around these parts."

Ivory ignored the latter half of his statements. "Nicknames give Pokemon character! And personality, which I notice you seem to be lacking." They both paused their banter to smile at each other. In sync, they each offered the other their hand. "I'll meet up with you later, right hotshot?" Ivory asked, trademark grin in place.

"Count on it," Cheren affirmed. He walked off in the same direction N had taken, waving his hand behind him as he went.

Ivory waved after him, though Cheren's back was to her. She tried to ignore the sinking feeling in her stomach as she watched him go. This was the dreaded part of her journey: growing up, not having her best friends with her every step of the way. Though she did have Excalibur now. And she'd be meeting up with Cheren and Bianca along the way. All the same, it was odd, not being with her childhood friends every second of the day, as they had been growing up.

"Ivory!" she once more heard her cousin call behind her. He approached Ivory and slung an arm around her shoulders before she even had time to turn around. "Was that Cheren I saw?" he asked, squinting up the road. "He isn't still wearing those oober tight pants all the time, trying to impress you, is he?"

Ivory rolled her eyes, brushing the arm off of her. "Somehow, I doubt that's how Cheren would go about impressing girls."

"Man, I miss that kid," Black chuckled. He became alert an instant later. "Oh! Right, I forgot to tell you, I'm the best cousin in the world!"

"Oh, really?" Ivory asked tiredly, already dragging her feet back towards the Poke Center to heal Excalibur.

"I don't know, wouldn't you say giving your cousin a gift for the start of her new journey hypothetically qualifies that someone as a _fantastic_ cousin?" Black shrugged, hands lacing together behind his neck and eyes averted in his best _who-me?_ stance. Ivory gasped, instantly crowding into his personal space.

"Really? What is it?" She asked excitedly. Black chuckled, then handed her a dark green orb. It took her a moment to register that the sphere was a pokeball; it was unlike the others she had seen so far: shades of green swirled together on its surface, red outlines standing out starkly on the indention.

"Oh, right. This is one of those specialized pokeballs, isn't it? Used for catching Pokemon in certain circumstances?"

"You bet. This here is a Dusk Ball. Makes catching creatures in dark caves or at night a hell of a lot easier," Black grinned.

"So, you got me a pokeball. Just one? That's a little impractical, isn't it?" Ivory asked. It was a nice thought and all, but seriously? A single pokeball? With her luck, she'd probably miss and completely waste the ball when she finally did find a wild Pokemon she wanted to use it on.

Black shook his head, smiling. "Hasn't Auntie taught you anything? It's what's on the _inside _that counts." Black pounded his fist against his heart in emphasis. Ivory's eyebrows furrowed while she contemplated her cousin's sporadic bouts of cheesiness before the concept hit her.

"Oh, so there's a Pokemon in here?"

"You bet," Black nodded, flashing a smile which Ivory returned automatically. "Go on, let him out!" Eagerly, Ivory complied. The Dusk Ball bounced off the concrete with a _thunk!_ before opening to release a red light which quickly took form.

**Oh no! Cliffhanger! You don't know what the Pokemon is! Whatever will you do? (read the Author's Note at top where the answer is?)**

**-So, for those of you who don't get the reference, Excalibur is the groovy aardvark thing from the anime Soul Eater. Youtube him; he's pretty amusing. & Snivy is that guy incarnate, in this story.-  
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**Anyways, hope you enjoyed! Here's some info on the Pokemon that appeared in this chapter:**

_Level 7 (Male) Purrloin_

_-Scratch -Growl_

_Level 11 (Male) Snivy "Excalibur" quirky nature. very finicky._

_-Tackle - Leer -Vine Whip -Wrap_


	2. Don't Let's Start, I've got a weak heart

**Few notes to add: anyone who noted that Ivory's Snivy has the Contrary ability will probably be wondering why Growl didn't have any weird effects in the last chapter. My answer: plot hole.**

**Also: Pokemon in this story aren't going to be strictly limited to only knowing 4 moves, since, yeah, this isn't a video game. They can forget moves, if they stop being used. So obsolete moves like Tackle would be forgotten in place of Take Down or the like.**

**A little bit of forward for the next few chapters: Cheren's going to be the most knowledgeable about everything going on, as he grew up reading books & junk in anticipation of his journey & is generally just the most scholarly of the group. He knows strategy, about pokemon abilities, evolutions, legends, & about pokemon from other regions, & gym leaders, etc. Not much surprises him. Bianca's just kinda winging it, & is really just exploring everything on her journey. She'll be the one trying out everything, like pokemon musicals & battling & exploring the cities more fully. Since she winds up being the Professor's aide or whatever in BW2, she'll figure out that she's really good at capturing & befriending new pokemon, so she'll end up making the most progress with the pokedex. Black & Ivory just really like battling & training their teams, so that'll be their focus & forte.**

**Also, Ivory and Black are pretty much going to be overpowered ub3r 1337 hax0r trainers. In other words, they are going to have mad skills, pick up on things quickly, and overall just astound people with their power. As heroes of the game, I assume they're prodigies, since they go on to accomplish such amazing feats. So no, I'm not constructing a Mary Sue or anything, it's just that the main characters of each game are in my mind special trainers. Each respective hero is the greatest in their region, the person that stands out above all the other leaders in their region. I'm not making Ivory the exclusive hero. Ivory and Black are going to be on even footing, once the story gets going. They're to be Unova's legacy, basically.**

**Also, a running gag in this story will be that Bianca names her Pokemon after food. Which means all of their nicknames are totally lame. If this bothers you, I dunno, just ignore it. I'll be referring to nicknamed Pokemon that do not belong to Ivory or Black simply by their species name.**

**UPDATE: i'm going to make it so that the Deino was freshly caught in Victory Road, so it's overpowered, & a bit much for Ivory to manage. She'll have an extra hard time reigning it in, 1. because it's a deino 2. because she doesn't have gym badges to prove her authority & 3. because her deino's a pain in the rear, even for its species. But yeah, it'll make it easier to evolve later on if I start it out at the level it's found in the wild. & even though it's like really powerful, Ivory can't control it at all, so it'll be both a trump card & a hindrance depending on whether the deino decides to obey her. As its original trainer, & as someone the deino recognizes a person with experience, the deino will obey Black's commands with minimal resistance. so for anyone who read the first 3 chapters before i edited it, i changed the deino from merely being grumpy, to being pretty much unusable because it's so out of ivory's league. the deino will be a source of character development, or something. also, i might go back & change the deino's name from 'Chaos' (in reference to chaos hydra from Heroes of Might & Magic III) to 'Ragnarok' because Norse mythology ftw. idk, i'll decide that later.**

_The Dusk Ball bounced off the concrete with a thunk! before opening to release a red light, which quickly took form._

Ivory studied her cousin's gift. The creature had a long neck, relative to its small body. It looked kinda bizarre - shaggy black fur hung over its face, no eyes visible from where Ivory could see. The thing seemed to be a blue dinosaur with an emo mop-cut. The thing sniffed at the air, then growled, baring a rather impressive set of chops at Ivory. Suddenly the thing seemed rather vicious, and Ivory was instantly enamored.

"Wow, he looks so cool! What is this guy, anyways?" Ivory wondered, not the least bit perturbed by the gleaming fangs. In her (albeit very limited) experience, it took time for Pokemon to warm up to new people.

"This little guy is a Deino, the Irate Pokemon. He's a dual type, Dark and Dragon," Black explained. Ivory smiled at the Deino, though unsure whether the creature could actually see her. "I caught one up at Victory Road when I was up there."

"Before you got creamed by Grimsley," Ivory interjected.

"Yes, that," Black grimaced and pressed on quickly. "The point is that the Deino up there are pretty scary. But, because I know you've always wanted a dark-type, I caught this guy for you, since I'm generous towards rude little girls, apparently," Black glared. "_You're welcome_, by the way," he said very pointedly. Ivory shot him a charming smile.

"Thank you _very much_ for giving me him?"

"And?"

"And you're the best cousin in the world," Ivory flashed him a more heart-felt grin, smiling so forcefully that her eyes were forced closed. Black's answering expression mirrored hers.

"Anyways, this guy is a male. He's about level 39 by now? The pokemon around Victory Road are considerably tougher than the ones around here. And his move-set is..." Black scratched his head. "Dark Pulse, Dragon Rage, Bite, and Tackle. He probably knows more, but I don't really know them, since he's barely been in battle. Also his ability is Hustle, which makes sense: he's a brute, but blind as a Woobat."

"I always thought that pink thing was the Woobat's eye?"

"Really? I thought it was a nose?" They both shrugged in unison. Then Ivory turned her attention back to the Deino, which was currently sniffing at an equally curious Excalibur. She pressed a finger to her lip, considering.

"What should his name be?" she wondered aloud. The Deino turned to face her, swaying its head back and forth as if searching for her face. "Ray Charles? Godzilla? Hmm... Does he evolve at all?" Ivory inquired.

"Oh yeah. Twice. His final evolution is a beast. They literally call it the Brutal Pokemon."

"Maybe I should name him Megadeth," Ivory joked to herself. "Chomp, maybe? Nah, that's too Super Mario..."

"Ragnarok," Black decided suddenly. "His name is Ragnarok."

"What, why? That's a mouthful!" Ivory protested.

"No, it'll sound really cool once he's fully evolved. Besides, hello? Dark-type? 'Ragnarok' fits. End of the world, and all that etymology."

"I'll sound like such a tool calling him that."

"Too bad, I'm his original trainer. And I say his name is Ragnarok."

"Ugh, fine." Ragnarok approached her finally, nosing at the loose threads of her denim shorts. "I guess I have two in my party now." Ivory turned towards the Deino, hesitantly reaching out to pat its head. Ragnarok growled menacingly again and snapped at her hand. "Prickly guy, aren't you?" she muttered, retracting her hand. She noticed Black shifting uncomfortably, and shot him a questioning look.

"I mentioned the pokemon around Victory Road are higher level, right?" At Ivory's nod, he continued. "Well, pokemon generally have a pretty good gauge of the competency of their trainer, and well... you're a novice." Ivory paused before deciding it wasn't worth it to get offended. "So just... focus on bonding with the guy, and not training him for now, alright? He won't take you seriously, at best, and at worst he'll be offended or feel threatened... and then things could get ugly."

Ivory shrugged. "Fair enough."

"I'm actually really glad Ragnarok didn't just bite your hand off." Ivory chuckled, but noticed Black's face was serious. He relented, with a sigh. "Just don't bite off more than you can chew with this Deino, okay?"

"Yeah, yeah," Ivory waved him off. "So, we ready to head out?"

"Yep!" Black brightened instantly at the more light-hearted turn in conversation. "I just healed my team and bought supplies, so we're all set. Let's just say good-bye to my folks and then we can leave." Ivory cast a look at her cousin as they walked.

"Who all is on your team anyways?"

"Moondrop, naturally." Black's Simipour had been his starter. He never removed the water monkey from his team. The two had only gotten stronger as a team since Moondrop's evolution from a Panpour.

"Your Simipour is so weird," Ivory grinned. The dreadlocked blue monkey was certainly an odd one, but he was the only member of Black's party she was familiar with. She hadn't seen him much during the year he'd been challenging the league.

"Yeah," Black smiled fondly. "I brought everyone I'm planning on using for the league. So I've got Moondrop, Poe, Ozzy, Impa, Zezima, and Shelob with me. It's a pretty well-balance party, I think."

Ivory's forehead wrinkled with apprehension. "I don't know what any of those names mean."

"Don't worry, you'll learn."

By now, the two had reached Black's house. It was a small structure perched on one of the town's many hills. Beside it, a platform overlooked the spread of green countryside. Though the balcony had always been there by Black's house, today Ivory took a special interest in it. She walked towards it and leaned over the edge, gazing down at the route. Amid the patches of grass she imagined she could see hidden items and creatures wriggling in the foliage. Ivory inhaled deeply.

"We're going to be traveling down there," she explained, when Black joined her. "We're going across all of Unova."

"Yeah, well your adventure's just beginning. Trust me the scenery's going to get much more interesting."

X

"Do people usually give you free stuff when you're journeying?" Ivory asked, tossing the new pokeball back and forth between her hands.

"Yeah, more often than you'd think," Black answered as they exited the gateway building. Before them was Route 2. Already, some youngsters were eying the two, clutching their pokeballs in anticipation. "Get ready to battle. Try to refrain from using Ragnarok against any of the trainers, though."

Ivory glanced at the kid in the orange cap, then at Excalibur, then at the Deino, which was trailing behind her. "Yeah, okay."

"My name's Jimmy, and I wanna battle!" was the kid's introduction.

"Dude! No way!" Ivory exclaimed, rushing past the kid. Resting on a tree branch by the grass was a Purrloin, perched lazily in the tree. "Come down and battle me!" she called up to it.

Black sighed and passed by the confused kid as well. "Ivory, just attack it. It's not a trainer, there aren't any formalities."

Ivory laughed nervously. "Okay then. Um, Ragnarok? Use... Dragon Rage?" Ivory's newest Pokemon snorted a puff of air from its nose, which somehow managed to sound scornful in Ivory's ears, and ignored her.

"Try sounding a bit more authoritative, please," Black muttered. _Newbies. _Apparently Ivory heard him though, because she cleared her throat and attempted once more with feeling._  
><em>

"Right. Um, Ragnarok! Use Dragon Rage on Purrloin!" The Deino yawned widely, its white fangs catching the sunshine. Then, after a long pause it decided to humor its trainer. With a deadly _snap!, _its jaws closed and it snorted smoke from its nostrils. Opening its jaws again, it finally launched a purple fireball up at the feline. The cat flicked its tail, disinterestedly; its slanted eyes were focused on Ivory, ignoring the fireball until it hit her. The Purrloin was knocked off its tree branch, and it fell to the ground without a sound. Unsurprisingly, it landed on its feet, though it was clearly weakened. Without preamble, Ivory threw the pokeball she'd received earlier at the feline.

The ball converted the Purrloin into a red light, then shook violently. A second later, it broke, releasing the Purrloin in the same red light.

"Wow, my first try and I fail," Ivory sighed dejectedly, already pulling out a second pokeball. Ragnarok refused to attack again, instead opting to explore in the nearby grass. The Purrloin still hadn't moved from where it laid in the grass, breathing heavily. Ivory gave up on calling Ragnarok back to further weaken his opponent and decided to just throw the second ball at the cat. She and Black held their breath as the ball shook. And then broke.

"This might take a while," Black surmised.

X

"Okay, this is it!" Ivory declared, throwing out her sixth (and last) pokeball. Click. Click. Stutter, and break. Disbelieving, Ivory stared as the Purrloin was released from the broken capsule. "Come _on_!" the girl cried. Black sighed, taking pity on his cousin. Wordlessly, he handed her a black and yellow pokeball. Ivory mouthed 'Thanks' at him before throwing a ball once more. They both watched, Ivory tense, Black exasperated.

Click. Click. More shuddering, then finally, a final click. Black frowned. The third click had taken a while, which was fairly odd for such a low-leveled pokemon. "That was an Ultra Ball," he noted. "Kitty's sure got fighting spirit to hold off against capture so long. And here I thought you just really sucked at catching Pokemon."

Ivory ignored him and picked up the Ultra Ball, a dorky smile already spreading across her face. Black watched, and began smiling as well. He remembered the first time he'd caught a Pidove; it had been magical. Then Ivory's pokedex went off, effectively ruining the moment. "_Purrloin, the Devious Pokemon. Its cute act is a ruse. When victims let down their guard, they find their items taken. It attacks with sharp claws._"

"Well, that's heart-warming," Black muttered.

Ivory frowned. "So I only get information when I catch the Pokemon?"

"Looks like."

Ivory made a face. "I don't need 150 Pokemon tagging along with me. I'd never have time for any of them."

"Well, just release them once you get the information collected then," Black reasoned.

"Ugh, that sounds like a lot of effort." At this point, Ragnarok has grown bored of the cheerful scenery and approached their small group. Ivory bent down in front of the Deino, and it tensed at her proximity. "Hey there, Ragnarok. Thanks for helping me weaken the Purrloin. You're really strong!" She attempted to pat him on his head, but Ragnarok snarled and dodged her hand. Ivory frowned, but Youngster Jimmy cut in by clearing his throat loudly.

"_Now _will you battle me?"

X

Ivory spent the next few hours alternating between capturing (and releasing) the few Pokemon she could find in the area -following a quick pit stop at the poke market to replenish her store of pokeballs- and battling the trainers on the route. Black hung back as a spectator. He couldn't exactly train his team on this route, and Ivory didn't seem to need his advice so far. Ivory had taken to battling like a Ducklett to water, battling with an enthusiasm he'd only imagined matched by his own. She hadn't lost yet; she'd insisted on training in the area until her Snivy and newly captured Purrloin were on even footing. They'd used a few Potions between the two creatures, but the results were showing. Her team was off to a remarkably good start, considering she'd only had a day to train the two. Of course, that was taking the Deino out of the equation... But that wasn't a pressing problem, for now.

The afternoon was waning, and Black couldn't help but be proud of his cousin's progress as they approached Striaton City. Her Snivy clearly adored her already. The Purrloin, now named 'Lilith', had opened up to her soon enough. The only recalcitrant party member was her Deino. At the very least, Ragnarok wasn't actively trying to bite her head off, which was as much as Black could hope for this early on. An orange blob distracted Black from his musing.

"Hey, isn't that Bianca?" he asked.

"Where?" Ivory squinted where Black was pointing. "Umm..."

"Ivory!" Bianca's voice sounded in incidental confirmation.

"Apparently," Ivory grinned meekly. Bianca ran towards them, waving energetically at Ivory.

"Ivory!" she said again as she reached them, puffing to regain her breath. "Let's have a battle!"

Ivory wrinkled her nose. "Wow, I've been battling _all day, _haven't I? I think I enjoy it too much."

_She __should really just go on to Striaton & use the Poke' Center before she agrees to_ _anything_, Black thought privately._ But I guess her team has enough energy between the two of them that she could hold out against Bianca. Final shove, then._

"Please give me a chance! My Pokemon and I have gotten a little stronger..." Bianca pouted, already holding her Tepig's pokeball.

"Alright, alright." Ivory sent out her Purrloin's Ultra Ball. "Lilith, get ready for some more action!"

"Aww! It's so fuzzy!" Bianca gushed, momentarily distracted, before recovering. "Oh, right. Um, Cheetoh, I choose you!" _Cheetoh? Seriously? _Black commented in his head as a small orange pig was called into battle. "Start it out with Tackle!" The Tepig obeyed in an instant, charging at the Purrloin before she had a chance to evade. Lilith took the attack full-on. She managed to sink her claws into the pig as she was knocked back, but of the two she received the worst damage.

"Nice reaction, Lilith. Try Faint Attack - he can't avoid that!" Obliging her new master, the Purrloin stepped forward, its body disappearing into shadow.

"What? Where'd it go?" Bianca spluttered, having never encountered a Pokemon knowing that move. Lilith appeared behind the equally confused Tepig and rammed into its body.

"Nice going. Faint Attack does even more damage since it's a Dark attack being used by a Dark-type," Black murmured to himself, impressed. "Way to rake in that STAB bonus, Ivory."

"Keep it up! Faint Attack, again!" Ivory shouted. Lilith obeyed, quickly executing the move before Tepig could catch on to her strategy. With this attack, Tepig looked a little worse for the wear. Bianca tugged on her beret anxiously.

"This isn't good. Use Ember, Cheetoh!" Flames shot out from Tepig's nostrils, hitting Lilith spot-on. Lilith yowled in pain, the first sound she'd made since she'd been caught. Ivory winced guiltily. She hadn't expected Tepig's Fire attacks to be such a threat. "Now use Tackle!"Bianca continued.

"You've got time, evade it!" Ivory instructed. Lilith attempted to obey, gingerly stepping to the side, eyes squeezed shut against the pain. _Not good! It looks like she's been burnt! _Panicking, Ivory grabbed Lilith's Ultra Ball and returned the feline to safety. Tepig stumbled to a halt, blinking around warily, ready for another Faint Attack. Ivory let out another pokeball in the mean time.

"Go, Ragnarok!"

"Didn't I say _not _to use him in battle?" Black sighed. "Well, let's see how this goes."

The Deino growled upon being released, though for once it was directed at his opponent rather than trainer. Tepig and Bianca shivered in unison. "Quick, use Tackle!" Ragnarok charged forward automatically, completely missing Tepig. Ivory face-palmed. _That's right, he has that Hustle ability. __I shouldn't have forgotten that. _"Let's try that again. Use Dragon Rage!" Chaos shook out his mane before stomping his front legs to the ground. A black wave of energy followed the motion, expanding its perimeter until it struck Tepig. The pig shook, legs trembling, before it finally keeled over. "Hey! That was Dark Pulse, not Dragon Rage!" Ivory cried. She coughed and attempted to regain composure. "I mean, good job, Ragnarok, but I'd like you to listen to me..." Ragnarok snorted, unimpressed.

Across from Ivory, Bianca sighed and returned her Tepig to its ball. "You did well, Cheetoh." Her eyes fired up again as she sent out her next pokemon. "Go, Cookie!" _What is with these names? _Black lamented, feeling bad for the Lilipup that appeared. "Tackle that dinosaur thing with, well... Tackle!" Lilipup let out a high-pitched bark and ran at the Deino.

Ragnarok swiveled its head side to side, listening. At the last moment, he stepped to the side, and Lilipup ran past him. However, Lilipup reacted well, turning with a skid and leaping on the Deino's back. Lilipup then proceeded to gnaw at the Deino's neck. Reacting automatically, Ragnarok went on rampage, thrashing around like a Gyarados until it sent Lilpup flying off his back. He didn't stop there though, instead opening his jaws to let loose a furious blast of Dragon Rage.

Bianca and Ivory blinked, having not ordered any of those attacks. Simultaneously, it occurred to them to regain control of their monsters.

"Use Bite!" Bianca ordered just as Ivory yelled, "Use Tackle!" Though severely weakened from the Dragon Rage hit, Lilipup bared its teeth and charged once more. Ragnarok merely lowered its head. The lilipup crashed into Deino's head-spike and was swept aside with a deft movement of Ragnarok's head. The lilipup slid across the dirt to a stop at Bianca's feet. Cookie was unconscious. Bianca stared at her Pokemon with teary eyes, but smiled through her (self-directed) disappointment. "Great job, Cookie."

"You pulled some pretty slick moves out there, Ragnarok," Ivory addressed the Deino, "though I guess it all worked out in the end. I'm proud of your effort, but try to listen to me next time, okay?" She reached out to pet him once more, hardly surprised when he growled and backed away. That stung more than a bit, but Ivory brushed it off. _We've only been together for today, after all. He's just not used to me._ She praised the Deino once more as she returned him to his Dusk Ball. Then she turned to Bianca and clasped the girl's shoulder, working to catch the blonde's eye. "Don't get down, Bianca. That was a great battle."

Despite herself, Bianca lowered her head. "But I lost." Here she shook her head abruptly. "It was my fault. I just need to train my Pokemon more, so we won't lose next time!"

"Atta girl," Ivory nodded. Her friend had always been a little too hard on herself, but she was also a very determined person. "Your Tepig and Lilipup fought really well, actually. Like that last Ember that completely undid my Purrloin? That was amazing!"

"That was mostly because Tepig has the ability Blaze," Black said. Both Bianca and Ivory gave the boy a blank look, to which he sighed. "Pokemon with the Blaze Ability receive a power-up to their fire attacks whenever they're low on health," he explained patiently.

"Oh!" both girls chorused at the same time. "So that's why his Ember seemed so much stronger all of a sudden," Bianca realized. "Well, I don't think I'm going to make that part of my regular battle strategy. It'd break my heart to see the little guy tuckered out every time I fought someone."

"Such a pure soul! I've missed you, Bianca, my innocent little flower!" Black pretended to swoon. Bianca's eyes widened, apparently in recognition (rather than horror at Black's haphazard flirting).

"I remember you! Your name's Black! You're Ivory's step-brother, aren't you?"

"Cousin, actually," Black corrected, one eyebrow arched. This came up every time they met.

Ivory sighed. "C'mon, you've known him for a few years now, Bee. Honestly, it's a wonder you did so well in school when you're such an airhead sometimes." Bianca giggled good-naturedly.

"Oh! By the way, I'm staying at the Poke Center in Striaton City for the night. Do you want to room with me?"

"Hell yes!" Black answered instantaneously.

"I will," Ivory butted in. "This goofball can find his own room." Black pouted.

"How come I'm never invited to any slumber parties with Bianca?" he grumbled.

"Gee, that's a mystery," Ivory returned icily.

Bianca blinked. "Ohhhh-kay. Anyways, let's go!" She rushed forward to link arms with Ivory and Black, then led them toward the Gate.

X

Upstairs in Striaton City's Poke Center, Ivory finished dropping supplies on her bed. It was around sunset, so there was still time for dinner and maybe some light training, if she could manage it. With a clipped yawn, Ivory stretched her arms above her head. Then she stripped off her vest and carefully extracted the white cap from her bulky ponytail.

At this moment, Bianca returned to the room. She stepped onto Ivory's bed so that she could reach her bag in the top bunk. As she rummaged through it, she started on a conversation as if they'd been speaking the whole time. "Cheren's here too, Ivory. He's rooming with Black, I guess, and he says he wants to challenge you once you get the Trio Badge."

"The what?" Ivory asked, scratching her temple.

"The Trio Badge! You have to challenge the local gym and win a badge!" Bianca told her.

"Oh right, the Gym League. Are you going to challenge them too?"

Bianca finally plopped down beside her, her two pokeballs landing in her lap. "I'm not sure, actually. I'll probably have to train more before I can pose much of a threat." She looked up thoughtfully. "I want to catch another Pokemon, actually. It's called Munna. I hear they can be found in the Dream Yard by here." Suddenly Bianca gasped, pointing at Ivory. "You can come with me! You can battle the trainers there while I look for a Munna!"

"Oh, you're going out now too?" Ivory asked, already sitting up and attaching her pokeballs to the chain hanging from her denim shorts. "That's good. I should try to keep an eye on you, since Cheren's not coming."

"You're such a good friend," Bianca smiled, oblivious to the insinuation behind Ivory's words.

"Come on, Slowpoke! The sun's going to be down soon!"

"I rather like Slowpoke, actually," Bianca said thoughtfully as she followed.

**Expect N next chapter.**

**So I introduced 2 new Pokemon in this chapter, but no worries. Ivory isn't going to be catching them left and right. She's going to be receiving one more in the near future before leaving her party be for a while. Sorry to anybody who is annoyed by the nicknames, but you'll have to suck it up. :]**

**By the way, for anyone who's interested, here are the ages of the characters: Black just recently turned 17, Bianca and Ivory and Cheren all turned 16 pretty recently, with Cheren being the closest of the trio to turning seventeen, and N is nearly 17, nearly eighteen. idk, i guess it's not really that important.**

**Here are the main Pokemon that appeared in this chapter.**

**(levels shown as they are at end of chapter.)**

Level 39(Male) Deino "Chaos" _mild _nature. _strongly defiant. _Hustle ability.

-Tackle -Bite -Dragon Rage -Dark Pulse

Level 12 (Female) Purrloin "Lilith" _quiet _nature. _capable of taking hits. _Limber ability.

-Scratch -Sand Attack -Faint Attack -Fury Swipes

Level 14 (Male) Snivy "Excalibur" q_uirky _nature. _very finicky. _Contrary ability.

-Tackle -Vine Whip -Wrap -Growth

Level 7 (Male) Tepig "Cheetoh" Blaze ability.

-Tackle -Ember -Tail Whip

Level 6 (Male) Lilipup "Cookie" Vital Spirit ability.

-Tackle -Bite -Leer -Odor Sleuth

**For anyone who doesn't understand the nicknames, I'll explain. Excalibur is named after the hilarious comedic-relief character Excalibur from Soul Eater, who looks very much like him. Look him up on Youtube, and you'll see what the Snivy's personality is supposed to be like. There are a few pictures comparing Smugleaf to Excalibur on the internet too. Purrloin is named Lilith, mostly after the demon chick in Supernatural. But Lilith is the name of the first woman in the Bible. She became a demon when she did not bow down to Adam, I think? So yeah, there's that reference too, I guess. Deino's named Ragnarok, which is the name for the Norse's version of the apocalypse, basically?**

**Actually, if I'd named the Purrloin 'Blair', then all three of Ivory's party members would be named after Soul Eater characters. Ragnarok's the name of Chrona's Black Dragon sword in Soul Eater, & Blair is a black cat 'with a ridiculous amount of magical powers'. Blair would imply a different personality for the Purrloin than what I'm envisioning, though, because Blair in the anime is pretty ridiculous. :)**


	3. Dream Police, live inside of my head

**Not much to say here. Um, I did a lot of editing on the previous chapters recently, so re-read if you're interested. Also, if you're a total Ferriswheelshipper, look up this video on Youtube called Compass. Just run a search on the words 'N' & 'Compass' & it should show up. It's rather heart-warming, acutally. :D**

**Also, this chapter might suck a little because I actually had to write something somewhat emotional. I'm not really satisfied with it, but what can ya do? Anyways, I'd love to hear some feedback, good or bad. :]**

Ivory still wasn't used to the generosity of Unova's many wandering citizens. Bianca and Ivory had barely walked down the path outside the Dream Yard, when an older teenager approached them, casually juggling two pokeballs.

"Excuse me, misses. Pardon my asking, but what type were your starters?" the guy inquired.

"Um, I chose Tepig, the fire-type," Bianca answered. Ivory merely indicated Excalibur, perched on her shoulder.

"Ah, I see!" the boy exclaimed. "And I suppose you have heard about the first gym, yes? There are three gym leaders, and which one you face corresponds to your starter."

Bianca frowned. "That doesn't seem very fair." Ivory just shrugged. She was up for the challenge. Winning a Gym Badge wasn't supposed to be a walk in the park.

"Agreed, miss. I could be of assistance, however. I have recently acquired three Pokemon that would benefit challengers such as yourselves. I will give you the Pokemon that will have an advantage against your opponent."

"Oooh, that's very kind of you," Bianca commended. "Which one would I get?"

"Well, since you picked Tepig, you'd normally be facing Cress, the water-type leader. Up against him, Pansage is your best bet!" He presented Bianca a pokeball as he spoke. Then he turned to Ivory. "I already gave Pansear to a black-haired fellow just earlier, but Panpour will suit you just fine." The young man offered her a red capsule as well.

Ivory hesitated. She was having enough trouble as it was dealing with her current team of three. Adding another monster to the mix so soon might be difficult. Still, it would be cruel not to give the Pokemon a chance. Gingerly, she accepted the ball from the stranger's hands. "I wish you luck on your gym battles, ladies!" With a bow, then a flourished wave of his hand, the guy left for the town.

"Thank you!" Bianca called after him, waving as well. She was such a friendly girl, even towards complete strangers. "Wasn't that nice of him, Ivory?"

"Yeah. Makes me wonder if he has a grudge against the leaders. Maybe we're being sent to eliminate them," Ivory deadpanned. Bianca look startled for a moment, before Ivory broke into a grin. With a gasp, Bianca seemed to remember the pokeball and, giggling excitedly, Bianca dropped it to the ground. From the red light emerged a green monkey. On his head was something that resembled a tree, or perhaps broccoli. Personally, Ivory thought the thing looked silly. She released her own ball with a sigh. A similar creature stepped out from the red light, only this monkey was colored aqua blue with a spout on his head rather than a tree. After studying it for a moment, Ivory recalled that Black had owned the same creature, though Moondrop was now evolved.

"Aren't they adorable?" Bianca smiled. Ivory shrugged. She still maintained that they looked ridiculous, but the two did give off a 'cute' vibe, she supposed. They'd probably be great with kids, or something. Although she felt horrible thinking it, Ivory just couldn't see herself training such a creature. Beside her, Bianca bent over to speak to her chimp. "Well, little guy, I'm trying to find a Munna. Mind assisting me?" The green guy smiled at her, then pounded its fists against his chest.

"I think that means 'yes'," Ivory observed. Bianca giggled as she offered her hand towards the Pansage. The monkey hooted and climbed up her arm, settling on her shoulder.

"I think I'm going to call you Veggie? Sound good?" Bianca smiled when the monkey nodded. She eyed Ivory's Panpour. "You should name yours Gusher, Ivory! That way these two will be _connected_!"

Ivory rolled her eyes fondly, but agreed. After recalling Snivy to his ball, she allowed the Panpour to climb on her, as Bianca's Pansage had done. The monkey settled on her head, its deft weight surprisingly comfortable and reassuring. Bianca waved at the pair before wandering off past the Dream Yard's chain-link fence. Together with her blue companion, Ivory set out walking down the path to challenge the few trainers still lounging about in the fading evening light.

X

"Nice job, Lilith! Rest up, now." Ivory returned the feline to its Ultra Ball. Her opponent handed her a wad of cash then walked off, kicking at the dirt. Ivory stretched, jostling Gusher, seated on her shoulder, with the movement. "Well, I'm sure Bianca's made some progress by now. Munna can't be that rare," Ivory muttered, making her way to the chain-link fence separating the yard from the dirt path. "Wonder what this place is used for anyways?" The words were barely out of her mouth before Ivory stumbled as the ground beneath her crumbled in. "What the- _oof!_" Ivory landed awkwardly in a pile of dirt.

Dusting herself off as she stood up, Ivory took in her surroundings. She had apparently fallen into some sort of passage below the Dream Yard. The late evening air was visible quite a ways above her, where she'd fallen. It was apparent that she had no hope of climbing her way out. Somehow though, the idea of being trapped down here didn't panic her as it should have. There was a very relaxing aroma about the place. Yawning, Ivory walked forward down the tunnel. Eventually, she came to a clearing flooded with moonlight. Ivory rubbed her eyes blearily. Moonlight? It was barely sundown.

After yawning hugely once more, Ivory noticed a boy and a Pokemon sitting in the clearing when her eyes opened. The boy looked familiar, green hair and blue eyes. A second later it dawned on her that it was the person who had challenged her in Accumula Town, though he was currently not wearing the cap or white over-shirt he had donned earlier. He sat in the middle of the clearing, staring at her. Beside him a Liepard was seated. The boy absently stroked its fur as he eyed her curiously.

"You again?" he ventured. Ivory nodded sleepily.

"Nice Liepard ya got there. I don't suppose that's the same guy I battled earlier, is it?" Her voice sounded odd as she spoke through a huge yawn.

"No, this one is unrelated," he answered shortly.

"Who are you again?" Ivory asked, sitting by the boy. At his continued stare, Ivory clarified. "Your name. I'm Ivory, if you forgot."

"I remember your name," he replied immediately. "My name is N," he offered after a moment.

Ivory nodded, almost nodding off. Her eyes were closing and opening at odd intervals as she struggled to stay awake. Hazily, she apologized for being bad with names.

"I think you're being affected by Musharna's Dream Mist," N noted somewhere by her; Ivory was too tired to pinpoint exactly where. "Take this." A glass vial was pressed against her cheek. Startled by the playful action, Ivory forced her eyes open. Of course, it was Panpour shoving an Awakening in her face, not the boy. That made more sense.

"Huh, dream mist: better than Nyquill," Ivory muttered, forcing the lid open. "Bottoms up." She drained the thing, then became slightly disoriented as she was abruptly shoved back into full consciousness. Ivory shook her head, trying to shake the sensation. "Thanks. Wow, what time is it anyway?"

N studied the sky above them. "About half past nine, I'd say."

"Nine?!" Ivory yelped. "It was barely seven when I left the center!"

N tilted his head, considering her with his blue-eyes gaze. "Perhaps the dream-mist addled your perception of time?"

Ivory's face scrunched up in confusion. "Is that even possible?"

"Quite. The dream mist's effects vary, depending on a person's sensitivity to his or her surroundings."

"So what does it mean that I lost almost a half hour's worth of time?" Ivory frowned.

N studied her with mild interest. "That would imply that you are deeply attuned to nature, to have been so affected."

Ivory's eyebrows furrowed. "Okay, that makes zero sense."

"The more in touch you are with how things should be, the more easily you'll be deceived by the Munsharna's organic dream mist."

"Right..." Abandoning that line of conversation, Ivory stretched her arms behind her and let an awkward silence settle between them. It wasn't a comfortable lull by any means, so she soon struck up conversation again. Ivory indicated the Liepard with her head. "So, do you just like black cats? That's why you own so many?"

N gave her another sideways glance. "I don't own Pokemon. Both this Liepard and the Purrloin earlier are free creatures. I merely convinced Purrloin to remain in a pokeball so that I could battle trainers."

"Really? So when did you 'convince' her?"

"A few minutes before Team Plasma's speech," N shrugged. Ivory gaped at him. That meant she had struggled to beat a newly caught Pokemon, practically a wild one, with a Snivy she had spent hours training? There was just no way. And here she had just brushed N off as an inexperienced battler. But for a person to be capable of getting a wild Pokemon to cooperate so completely...

"Wow, N. You're pretty amazing."

"Pardon?" His face offered a new-found expression of confusion.

"Well, Pokemon can sense a human's true nature, right? For Purrloin to have befriended you so easily, it must have seen something pretty special in you." Ivory smiled at him. She admired that this stranger could treat Pokemon as equals, though she was puzzled that he didn't think trainers deserved their company. "You two put up a really great fight for being a newly forged team."

N considered her words, skepticism evident on his face. "It was still wrong to force him to battle. Necessary, but still wrong."

"Necessary? You don't _need_ to battle anyone. It's just something that's fun to do."

N dropped his gaze with a sigh. He seemed prepared to launch into another tangent, when footsteps were heard from the ground above. Then:

"Hey, look, a Munna!" It was Bianca's voice.

"Well, that's my cue to leave." Ivory stood up and tipped her hat at the green-haired youth. But then she took in the distance between herself and the ledge above her. _Oh brother._ Face sour and lips pursed, she turned back to N. "Hey, this is kind of awkward, but can you give me a boost?"

"Come again?" N asked, eyebrows pinched, as if she had just spoken an alien language.

Ivory pointed up at the ground above them. "I can't reach it, and I don't really know another way outta here. So help me out, please?"

N stared at her for a moment, as if she wasn't serious. Eventually though, he stood up, the Liepard sauntering off when he abandoned her company. He made his way towards her, then hesitated, before settling his hands on her waist awkwardly. Ivory flushed at the very forward contact, having expected to be lifted up by her feet. Not noticing her discomfort, N smoothly lifted her up, turning her so that she could grab the ledge. For such a wiry frame, the boy actually seemed fairly fit. Ivory heaved her arms, but couldn't quite lift herself onto the surface. Panpour, of course, crawled up Ivory's body and onto solid ground immediately. Rather sweetly, but uselessly, the monkey tugged on his trainer's wrists, trying to pull her up as well. Annoyed by her lack of upper-body strength, Ivory grit her teeth and swung her leg up to catch the side of the ledge, hauling her body properly up to the surface. "Just like climbing a tree back home, only slightly more of a pain in the ass," she panted. Ivory turned to thank N, but found the clearing below empty.

Shrugging it off, Ivory gathered Panpour onto her shoulder and searched for Bianca. She spotted the orange-wearing girl partially through a thick arrangement of bushes. Not wanting to fall underground again, Ivory just barreled through the greenery, rather than trampling through the field again. She barely even noticed the nicks the rough plants were scratching onto her skin; she was ready to leave. "Bianca!" she cried breathlessly. The blonde turned towards her, eyes fearful.

"Who are you?" an unfamiliar speaker asked sharply.

"Not another brat?" one more foreign voice quipped.

Ivory looked over to see two redheads also with them, both dressed in the same garb as the organization in Accumula Town.

"Listen up, twerps. We're members of Team Plasma, and in the name of our organization, we need to obtain this Munna's Dream Mist. So unless you're going to help out, get lost!" the first speaker said, glaring at a small pink pig behind them. The Pokemon quivered with fear. Quickly, Ivory's mind assessed the situation.

"Two on two works for me," Ivory spoke a moment later, already pulling out a pokeball. "Excalibur, go!"

Relieved that Ivory had taken the lead, Bianca followed her action by sending out Tepig. The grunts turned back to face them upon hearing their Pokemon being released. Glaring daggers, the pair followed suit. The female called out a Purrloin, the male a Patrat. Ivory studied the enemy team, stunned. The two Pokemon looked absolutely miserable. The Purrloin's head hung dejectedly, so different from the confident demeanor the dark cats were known for. Likewise, the Patrat's eyes seemed glossed over, not at all alert as the ones she'd seen. Ivory turned to catch Bianca's gaze. Their eyes met, and she knew that Bianca had noticed the gloom too. Their wordless interaction was cut off when the Plasma Grunts ordered their attacks.

"Patrat, Bide!"

"Purrloin, Sand Attack!"

The Pokemon cringed at the yelled commands, but obeyed. The Patrat puffed up its cheeks as its fur stood on end just as the Purrloin raked its tail across the ground, sending a current of dirt at Ivory and Bianca's starters. Whether the grunts intended it or not, it wasn't a bad strategy. By the time Tepig and Snivy had blinked the dust out of their vision, the Patrat was ready to attack, already launching its tiny body at them. Snivy avoided the lunge in the nick of time, but Tepig was not so lucky, and received the full hit.

"Oh no!" Bianca wailed, as Tepig was knocked onto its back painfully.

"Retaliate with Flame Charge, Cheetoh!" Ivory interjected, focused on the fight. "Excalibur, trap the opponents with a Vine Whip - Wrap combo!"

Excalibur nodded, undisturbed by the combat. He sent forth his twin vines speedily, then slammed the two foes together before rushing forward and wrapping the two with a leafy Wrap attack. By this time, Tepig had gained its footing. The pig cloaked itself in fire as it charged at the opponents. He hit the pair with a dull thud, the contact alone enough to cause damage, but the fire added to the hurt, intensified by Snivy's flammable bindings.

Though their Pokemon were clearly outmatched, not to mention in excruciating pain, the Grunts shouted uselessly at their Pokemon to continue the attack. Disbelief and anger swirled through Ivory's mind, her eyebrows meeting to form a dangerous V. "Panpour! Put them out of their misery with Water Gun!" The monkey leapt on top of her hat, then shot a steady spray of water at the Purrloin and Patrat. The fire died down, though the Pokemon were further strained by the attack, however well-meant. Panpour tapered off his attack as soon as the fire went completely out. The monkey then proceeded to dance atop her head, ignoring its unstable position and Ivory's wincing. Evidently, Gusher was excited to have participated in his first battle.

"Plasmaaa!" the female grunt cursed, not even bothering to return her Purrloin to its ball. "How could we lose to a pair of kids?"

"Whatever, let's just get the Dream Mist and leave." The male turned and kicked the Munna, face sour. Ivory recoiled as if _she_ had been kicked, shocked by this brutality. She watched uncomprehending, rooted to the spot though her mind screamed at her to help the Munna. _Why would they...?_

"Stop!" Bianca cried beside her, stepping towards the pair. Then a new voice spoke, repeating more firmly than Bianca had:

"Stop. What do you think you are doing?" it spoke with a deadly calm. The four of them turned to see a cloaked man with green hair. Ivory foggily placed him as the guy who'd given the speech at Accumula Town. His hair shone in the moonlight proudly, a familiar shade of green Ivory had seen moments before.

"Lord Ghetsis," the two grunts breathed.

"Do you think I condone this? You're drawing too much attention to yourselves. Leave now, or I'll be forced to punish you." The man's eye glinted dangerously, the other hidden behind a scouter.

"This isn't Ghetsis when he's gathering followers," the female Grunt said as she backed up slowly, "or when he's tricking people with his speeches..."

"I'm telling you to stand down, or else I will not overlook this. You will be punished." The man's image flickered, startling Ivory and Bianca, but the Grunts seemed not to notice.

"This is Ghetsis when he's about to issue punishment after a plan has failed..." the male gulped. "Let's hurry back so we can apologize to him!" The two rushed past Ivory and Bianca, shoving them aside roughly. Ghetsis's image wavered, then disappeared altogether, leaving an odd pink and purple floating pig in its place, of all things.

The pig cried out sadly, rushing over to the shaking Munna. Bianca approached cautiously as well. "Um, Munna?" she spoke hesitantly. The Pokemon cringed, setting Bianca off into a fit of apologies. "Sorrry! I'm sorry! It's just that, well, we should probably take you to the Poke Center so you can feel better. I promise we won't pull anything, it's just that you got pretty beaten up and, well..." Bianca trailed off, tears glinting in the moonlight. Ivory didn't speak, still standing in place. She clenched her fists as she berated herself inwardly.

_I didn't do anything!_ she raged. _I just stood by and watched that! But it shocked me so much. It never occurred to me that there are people in the world who don't cherish Pokemon. Maybe that N person was right; maybe there are people who don't deserve Pokemon... like those Team Plasma idiots! ... Or me. Because I did nothing, these Pokemon..._ Ivory looked up to see the Purrloin and Patrat staring blankly at the Dream Yard's exit. They seemed torn between relief and loneliness over their abandonment. Ivory stepped forward to the two's forgotten pokeballs, staring at the red and white spheres. Bianca jumped when Ivory impulsively crushed the capsules beneath her combat boots. Her bangs hung down, obscuring her face."I'm sorry," she mumbled quietly to the three Pokemon. Then she looked up, a fake smile on her face. "Let's get all of you to the Pokemon Center! Nurse Joy will fix you right up!" With that, she marched out of the Dream Yard, Cheshire grin firmly in place. Bianca followed as well, glancing behind her every so often to assure that the three Pokemon were trailing after.

X

**I'd been watching a lot of anime when I wrote this, so that's probably why the whole chapter's a bit cheesy & overdramatic. And yeah, Ivory totally ordered Bianca's Tepig, and it obeyed her. Because she's bawss. ;] Next chapter we'll finally get to the Gym Battle. Probably... The Gym Leaders will finally be introduced, at the very least.**

**So yeah, tell me your thoughts. :D  
><strong>


	4. Cool the Engines, Take it outta Gear

**so i'm updating again? it's summer, & i'm replaying pokemon white, and little snippets of inspiration for this kept popping up, so i decided to come back & write some more. i'm going off to college in august though, so i predict the updates will be short-lived, but we'll see what i can chug out until then, shall we? :3 **

**i also did some editing on earlier chapters, & i'll come back & edit this later so double-check later, if you're interested. :D mmkay, enjoy the read:**

x

"What on earth are you still doing in bed? It's almost noon!"

Black's voice, when heard in the morning hours, never failed to grate on Ivory's ears. Okay, maybe that wasn't applicable for her cousin exclusively; she just wasn't a morning person, alright?

"Shut up," Ivory moaned. "It's like ten!"

"It's_ 'like'_ ten-thirty!"

"That's still well before 12, dumbass!" Ivory groaned as she blindly flung her pillow at the door. Beneath closed lids, she dutifully rolled her eyes at the chiding sound of Black's tsk-ing.

"This is no way to behave at the start of your journey, young lady," he clucked.

"Shove off. Bianca and I had a late night."

"And yet, of the two, you're the one still in bed," Black replied coolly.

At that remark, Ivory shot up in bed, but instantly crumpled back down after ramming her head into the bunk above her. "FUUH-"

"BITE YOUR TONGUE, YOUNG LADY!"

"-UUURret..." Ivory tapered off, rubbing her head with a grimace. "That really hurt." With a gratuitous wince, Ivory rolled out of bed and glanced at the top bunk: it was empty. "Bianca's not here."

"I just said that, genius."

"Well, where is she?"

Black shrugged. "Dunno. Cheren mentioned something about her being in the waiting room of the Medical Center since some odd hour in the morning. Apparently those pokemon you guys returned with last night were cleared, so they released them back into the wild. Though I guess the Munna was okay with becoming part of Bianca's party."

Ivory fidgeted uneasily. "I guess I should've been there," she mumbled.

Black's eyebrow raised. "Really? I don't see how it makes any difference who was there."

"I was there when those thugs were abusing them." Ivory shrugged helplessly. "I dunno, I just feel like I should've sent the pokemon off, or something. Guess I feel some kind of obligation towards them."

Black sighed wearily. "I hate to be telling you this so early on in your adventure, but not everybody's suited to be a pokemon trainer. Some just suck at battling, some simply can't tap into that power or elicit it from their partners, and others... just don't know how to treat pokemon properly."

"I know," Ivory began, then faltered. "Or, at least... I know that now."

"Just don't blame yourself, is all," Black continued. "There are some rotten people out there. The only thing you can do is deal with the problems you come to face."

"I guess," Ivory sighed.

She fell into a contemplative silence that Black eventually felt obligated to break. "Well hey now, since you were such a sleepy-head, you've got some catching up to do! It seems our little Cheren went ahead and challenged the Gym this morning."

That distracted Ivory from her reverie. "Really? Did he win?" She cut herself off with a scoff. "Who am I kidding? Of course he did; he'd never challenge a Gym Leader if he wasn't like a zillion percent prepared."

Black chuckled in agreement. "He does have some sort of complex going on there. My point was that he's already beaten the gym. He wants to battle with you before he leaves town, and he refuses to do that until you're on his level."

"On his level?"

"A holder of the Trio-Badge," Black elaborated.

"Oh. Guess I better head on down to the Gym."

"Yup!" Black popped his lips on the 'p' of his reply. "But first, breakfast!"

"Yeah, good idea. I'm starving!"

"Well, that's unfortunate. Here." Black offered her a round, green apple.

"What's this?"

"Breakfast," Black answered cheerfully.

"Really cute, Black. Now let's go to the cafe-"

"The cafeteria's closed."

"...What?" Ivory glowered.

"The Poke Center's cafeteria breakfast hours last from 6 a.m. until 10 a.m." Black recited crisply.

"... You're kidding."

" 'Fraid not," Black chirped. He proffered the apple once more. "Take, eat; this is my apple, which was brought to you and-"

"Alright, you've made your point," Ivory said as she snatched up the fruit. Black made to exit the room. "Wait, Black."

He poked his head back into the doorway. "Yes?"

Ivory smiled sincerely at him. "Thanks for saving me some breakfast." '_And the talk'_ went unsaid.

"Any time, kiddo." He smiled back.

X

After she emerged from the Poke Center, Ivory insisted on going on a jog to warm up her team members. She returned over half an hour later to meet a dumbfounded Black, sporting brambles in her hair and a wild tale about a biker who'd popped out from the shadows of a tall building and chased her down through a majority of Route 2 in order to explain that he'd only wanted to give her a Dusk Ball. Ivory spent another ten minutes convincing Black to help Bianca remove the twigs from her ponytail, and another ten minutes coercing his Simipour to wash her hair out once she'd somehow conjured a bottle of shampoo from her deceptively spacious travel bag. When all was said and done, it was less than five minutes til noon when they finally entered Striaton Gym.

"Erm, is this the right place?" was Ivory's first response.

The place was dotted with dining tables of varying size, all of which were occupied by people... well, _dining_. Every now & then a smartly dressed waiter or waitress would emerge from the door opposite the entrance to take or deliver an order.

"Hmm... I don't really remember any of this from when I challenged here." Despite this statement, Black didn't seem the least bit perturbed by the setting.

"Um, we're in a restaurant, Black. A _restaurant,_" she emphasized in a clipped tone. "I thought you knew where you were going! You've been to the Gym before! Heck, you live a whopping two miles from this town, so how the_ heck_ did we wind up at a _restaurant_?"

An older man seated nearby chuckled at Ivory's building rant. "You're here to challenge the Leader, I take it?"

Ivory swiveled around. "Um, yes?"

"Hey, Clyde!" Black greeted congenially.

"Nice to see you again, Black," the man returned.

Ivory glanced between her cousin and the older man dubiously. "You two know each other?" she asked.

"He knows everybody," Black said.

"I know everybody," Clyde agreed. "Fresh water, miss?" he offered Ivory a bottle that she swore he'd produced from thin air. Against her better judgement, she accepted it.

"Er, thank you? Now, about the Gym-"

A new voice cut in. "I'm guessing these are challengers if you're speaking to them, Mister Clyde." The speaker was a waiter with a memorable blue haircut. It cascaded in waves over the majority of his face. The waiter inspected Ivory and Black dully. "Well, we've got a few uniforms to spare. The girl's rather flat-chested, so she'll fit, no problem."'

Ivory bristled at the comment. "_Hey_!"

Black tilted his head in confusion. "Okay, now I'm lost."

The waiter tossed his hair from his face impatiently, though it settled back over his eye a moment later. "Here's the short of it: you're challengers, the gym leaders run a restaurant, and it's lunch time, A.K.A. the busiest time of our workday. Now if you ever want to challenge the gym, I suggest you lend a hand."

"Is this a usual thing, for you to hire your challengers?" Ivory frowned.

"No, it's only usual for the idiots who try to challenge the gym during restaurant hours," the waiter answered bluntly.

"Ohhh-kay, point taken. We'll help out," Black rushed to answer before Ivory could come up with a suitable retort.

X

"This is ridiculous," Ivory muttered as she scooped up another load of the seemingly infinite plates of expertly-prepared food. "I'm either going to collapse from exhaustion or from heat-stroke." In the kitchen's small storage closet, there had only been a few spare waiter outfits, and a single, rather frilly waitress uniform designed to fit a girl of petite stature. Ivory, trying to prove some point that conveniently escaped her at present time & circumstance, had opted for the male equivalent - she'd always preferred to dress less femininely if she could help it. However, between the inexorable heat from the kitchen and the relentless cardio to and from the tables, Ivory found that maybe she'd have preferred the lacy waitress do-up after all. Not that she'd had a chance to exchange uniforms. The flow of customers at lunch hour was practically never-ending! It was like a strange purgatory of steamy kitchens, gourmet food, and uncomfortable uniforms.

Black giggled, interrupted her inner-raving. He was hunched over one of the kitchen's sinks, where he was engaged in an impromptu dish-washing session. Beside him, Excalibur was hissing at the remnants of spoiled carrots that were swirling down the drain. "With that spiffy waiter outfit and the two tufts of hair you've got sticking out of your ponytail, you're really reminding me of Apollo Justice."

"Ugh, great." Ivory spared a moment for an obligatory roll of her eyes before quickly returning them to double-checking an order. "I guess that would make you Phoenix Wright, huh?"

"Nah. My hair isn't quite that spiky," Black snickered.

Ivory carefully placed a tray laden with dishes on her shoulder with a small exhale of exertion. "Well, if I decide to actually go on strike and demand minimum wage, I'll be sure to exercise my Chords of Steel and yell out an 'Objection!' for you," Ivory said over her free shoulder.

"Atta girl!" Black called after her.

Ivory refrained from fondly rolling her eyes so that she could put them to better use, like focusing on carrying the tray out to the dining area without sending its contents tumbling to the ground. She'd nearly done just that, twice now, but both times a waiter - with quite literally flaming red hair - had appeared from nowhere, steadied the tray, winked at her (of all ridiculous and corny gestures), and then basically dissolved into the restaurant. Which was actually quite a feat, considering his eye-catching hairdo.

Third time was supposedly the charm though, so Ivory made sure to move carefully and not jostle the tray - both of which failed royally as she spotted Cheren and Bianca at the receiving table with a jolt of surprise.

"Really now, this is the third time. Can't take the heat?" the waiter with the flaming haircut had reappeared, taking hold of both her hands to steady her and the the tray. Once she regained balance she shrugged him off.

"Bite me," Ivory replied crossly. "I just stumbled, it wasn't like the tray was going to go crashing down," she bluffed. "And I'll thank you not to demean my competency by imposing it upon yourself to come dashing to my supposed rescue."

"Ooooh, you're a fiery one." The waiter winked. "I like that in a girl!"

"Cool it, hotshot. You might get burned," Ivory returned with excessive sarcasm and a heavy dose of eye-rolling. Years of dealing with Black's goofball antics had taught her to take flirting at face value.

"Ha! She knows the lingo!" He pointed his thumb at Ivory, indicating her with delight to a nearby green-haired waiter. The addressed waiter merely nodded with a long-suffering expression. Flame Head returned his attention to Ivory. "Oh puh_-lease_ tell me you chose a grass-type starter."

"Um, yes? I chose Snivy."

"Oh, _excellent_! Well, carry on then!" He shooed her back on her original path towards Cheren and Bianca's table. Unable to fathom the waiter's behavior, Ivory continued to the table.

Bianca's eyes found her first, and they widened almost comically before crinkling into a smile. "Aw, Ivory, you look so cute!"

"Ivory?" Cheren spoke, then whipped his head around to see her.

"Since when do you work here?" Bianca asked.

"Since I found out this gym was run by nutcases, which happened to be earlier today," Ivory said as she re-adjusted her grip on the tray. "Anyways, what are _you_ doing here? Cheren already won his badge, and I'm guessing you're not up to the gym challenge just yet."

"Oh. Well, Cheren offered to take me out to eat, since he had nothing else to do until he battled you," Bianca said.

"In that case, would it kill you guys to order less stuff?" Ivory grumbled as she served them their plates. "This stuff's freaking heavy."

"It would be easier if you served the courses properly," Cheren noted coolly. He studied the assortment of dishes as he adjusted his glasses. "Generally the drinks are first served. Then the soup and salad are brought out, and then the appetizers are served, if any are ordered, before the dining proceeds to the main course-"

"Cheren, is there anything you haven't read a whole freaking textbook about?" Ivory complained as she roughly handled Cheren's tea cup. "A.) this isn't actually fine dining, compadre: it's just a restaurant with a snootily-dressed staff, and two-"

"B," Cheren corrected.

"TWO," Ivory continued loudly, "this is my first and only day on the job, so quit your bitc-"

"Aaaaaand, here's dessert," Black cut in, appearing from nowhere. He set down two sloppily-scooped bowls of plain ice cream and grabbed Ivory by her ponytail. "On the house," he added hastily. "Enjoy!" He then proceeded to drag a struggling Ivory back into the kitchen.

X

Their shift felt like it would never end, so Ivory was immensely bewildered that the gym-slash-restaurant's clock only displayed four o'clock when things had finally quieted down.

Ivory hung up the waiter uniform in disgust and then flung herself on the ground against the storage room's door.

"Remind me to never go into the food industry," Ivory spoke to the world at large.

The world at large ignored her, so only Black was left to respond. "I don't think you could make it in the food industry if you tried."

Ivory opened her mouth to retort, then closed it after a moment of thought. She sighed. "Yeah, you're probably right."

"That was a lot of hard work for four hours, huh?" Black said. "Feels good though, doesn't it? All accomplished and whatnot?"

"The only thing I feel is pain in my arms and shoulders," Ivory said. "Mostly because I can't feel much from the waist down. I'm totally suing." With that, she flopped the rest of the way to the ground.

Black chuckled. Ivory always accused him of exaggerating, blowing things out of proportion, not taking things seriously, and just general tomfoolery, but Ivory could be just as comical once she was worn out enough to loosen up.

"And will the restaurant be defended by Phoenix Wright or Apollo Justice?" Black quipped.

Ivory wasn't given an opportunity to reply, as three waiters entered the kitchen right then. The green-haired waiter of the group frowned. "I do hope that was said in jest. Surely, our restaurant isn't stressful enough to warrant such drastic legal action?"

"They were kidding, Cilan. Lighten up!" The flame-haired waiter slapped his companion's back.

"And you need to cool off, Chili, or else Cilan will end up with another dislocated shoulder," the third waiter (this one blue-haired) interjected.

"Sheesh, squabbling like that, people would think you're siblings," Ivory muttered as she eye the three.

"They are," Black said. He scratched just beneath the brim of his hat at his temple. "I'd introduce them, but I get the feeling these guys like to do that sort of thing themselves." With that prompt, the three waiters burst into movement.

"I'm Chili!" The redhead threw his fist into the air.

"I'm Cilan." With a small waved peace-sign, the green-haired waiter introduced himself.

"And I'm Cress," the blue-haired waiter was left to say.

"And we're the Striaton City Gym Leaders!" they chorused.

"... Cilan, you were off by half a second," Cress scolded after a moment.

"Sorry," Cilan apologized meekly.

Ivory recognized Cress as the waiter that had first roped them into this mess and Chili as the redhead who'd she snarked at earlier. Cilan, at least, had gone about his business unobtrusively in the background. _These are the Striaton Gym Leaders?_

"Oh brother," Ivory groaned.

"Times three," Black chimed in happily.

**There aren't even any pokemon battles in this chapter! mostly because i'm like waay lazy. **

**so, i took some major liberties with the brothers' personalities, and with how a restaurant works in general. this is pretty much entirely filler because 1. i needed to get back into writing this & 2. i wanted to break up the monotony of talking to people and battling, end of chapter.**

**phoenix wright & apollo justice are lawyers from Capcom's Ace Attorney franchise, & if you haven't played them DON'T TOUCH ME, YOU'RE NOT LIVING. but yeah, they' great games, totally worth checking out. **

**for anyone who gets the reference, or will get it once i point it out, Excalibur is hissing at the carrots when he's in the kitchen with Black & Ivory. In the episode of Soul Eater where Oxford visits him, Excalibur states that he hates carrots. When oxford agrees, excalibur throws his bento away, scolding him for complaining about food. he then instructs viewers not to waste food. assume something similar happened between Black & Excalibur. :) yeah, i actually don't watch soul eater 24/7, contrary to what these author notes may lead you to believe. but excalibur is a hilarious icon, so i'm going to squeeze in as many references as i can. :P**

**oh, & if the whole 'She knows the lingo!' line seemed out of place when Chili & Ivory were interacting, it's probably because i'm the only one who occasionally has David Tennant's voice stuck in their head. It's a line the 10th doctor says to Rose a few minutes into the episode titled 'The Idiot's Lantern' & i don't even have an explanation. there was banter, chili & his bros speak in elemental puns generally, ivory joined in, & i guess fancy waiter suits somehow made me think of british pop culture. Whatever, so that's my totally irrelevant explanation/side-note for that line. i'm feeling rambly, because it's like 3 in the morning as i'm writing this. :D**

**so thoughts? good, bad? lemme hear some feedback. :)**


	5. Fire of Unknown Origin

**Okay, i'm willfully ignoring Snivy's ability Contrary in this chapter. Again. So the attacks Growth & Work Up will operate as intended. I'm a terrible writer, moving on.**

Cress spoke."We acknowledge that the last four hours must have been rough for you, and we... _appreciate _the attempt-" Chili roughly elbowed his brother. "-the _effort _you showed today."

"Gee, don't strain yourself," Ivory muttered sarcastically.

"What he means is that even though you totally sucked, we see you tried your best," Chili chirped. He didn't falter under Ivory's glare, continuing on. "Since you gave your all, we're going to let up on some of the heat."

"Okay, I'm not really following the fire metaphors," Black said.

"What my brother means," Cress said, "is that in payment of the hours you worked, we're not going to require you defeat our underlings."

"Our minions," Chili corrected.

Black and Ivory stared at the pair blankly.

"The trainers that work under us," Cilan explained with a sigh.

"Oh, rad." Ivory frowned. "Though that's really not adequate pay for four hours of nonstop-"

Black interrupted tactfully. "So, who do you think you'll be battling, Ivory?"

Ivory faltered in her indignation, distracted as planned. "That's a good point, there are three of you. Don't trainers usually only fight a single leader per gym?" Her eyebrows furrowed in confusion. "Why are there three of you anyway?"

Cress tossed his hair with a self-important huff. "Striaton Gym receives the largest percentage of novice challengers in the Unova region. If there's one thing we want trainers to take from their challenge, it's the ability to overcome an obstacle."

"So," Chili picked up from his brother's speech, "we have three leaders set up so that the challenger faces an opponent with an elemental advantage."

Ivory grimaced. "Great. Way to take it easy on us newbies."

With an apologetic expression, Cilan spoke up. "Chili said you picked Snivy as your starter?"

At Ivory's nod, Cilan's face fell minutely. "Is that so? I was hoping to battle you. I guess it can't be helped, though..."

"Well, if that's the case, then it looks like you'll be facing Chili," Cress said, speaking over Cilan. "How fortunate for you that I'm not your opponent." Cress frowned, bravado fading. "Though it rather unfair that I'm the only brother that hasn't battled today."

Black stared at Cress speculatively, as if sizing him up, but Ivory didn't notice as she had turned to face Chili.

"So, are we going to battle or what?"

"Cool the engines, little lady. We have to get to the arena before this fight can be lit up," Chili grinned. "Follow me."

x

With barely concealed jitters, Ivory waited for Clyde to take his place as referee. It was partially because she was nervous, but a strange energy hummed through her body as she anticipated the fight. _This will be my first official gym match! _she thought excitedly. She shivered with giddiness, convulsively tightening her grip on the pokeball in her hand. _I must look like a little kid. _Ivory grinned sheepishly to herself at the realization. At that moment, Clyde slid into view, walking towards the arena.

"How bout we start the match before our challenger spontaneously combusts, eh old man?" Chili hollered jovially.

"Sometimes that hothead just needs a healthy dose of Fresh Water," Clyde whispered conspiratorially to Ivory as he passed her. She grinned, the older man's humor settling her nerves somewhat.

"KNOCK 'EM DEAD, IVORY!" a loud voice was heard from the stands. Ivory cringed, placing it as Black's.

"Yeesh! You're worse that Mom," she mumbled.

"REMEMBER, YOUR COUSIN LOVES YOU!" Black added in an over-the-top simper. Apparently, he'd heard her comment.

Clyde closed his eyes, though his lips were twitching with amusement. "If that's all?" he ventured.

Chili pouted at Cress and Cilan, who were standing calmly beside Black in the stands. "Why aren't you guys that supportive?"  
>Cress sighed and offered a half-hearted thumbs-up, while Cilan waved shyly. "They're not nearly as passionate as the other kid," Chili muttered.<p>

"Trust me, that's a good thing," Ivory said.

"Let's begin the match!" Clyde cut in. "Release your first pokemon on my mark: 3, 2, 1: Go!"

Chili and Ivory obligingly threw their pokeballs: Excalibur emerged on Ivory's side, facing a scrawny Lilipup as his opponent.

Ivory wrinkled her nose. "I thought you were a Fire-type user?"

"Don't worry, I'll still be able to bring the heat," Chili promised. "Lillipup, use Bite!" The brown canine pokemon ran forward.

"Counter with Vine Whip!" Ivory ordered. Reacting swiftly, Excalibur sent two criss-crossed vines sailing at the rapidly approaching pooch. In an impressive display of dexterity, the Lilipup sped up and dove between the intersecting vines, and continued on towards the wrong-footed Snivy. Lilipup collided heavily and bit into the snake's neck. "Reign in those vines," Ivory yelled, thinking fast. "Use Wrap!" Eyes hardened with determination, Excalibur hissed as he focused on following the command. The vines used for his previous attack were reeled in until they constricted around the Lilipup. The puppy pokemon was forced to release its fangs as it struggled to free itself.

"Break out of there with Work Up!" Chili called. The Lillipup's eyes glowed yellow. It began yipping as it flailed violently against its bonds. Rips and tears were quickly becoming visible throughout the vines.

"Strengthen your hold with Growth!" Ivory instructed. Excalibur's body glowed green as it gathered energy, and the vines correspondingly grew thicker around the trapped Lillipup. The dog continued its struggling, but was eventually rendered motionless as the vines continued to tighten. Moments later, the Lillipup finally slumped its head down, eyes glazed over.

"The first round goes to Challenger Ivory," Clyde announced as Chili returned his Lillipup.

"First round?" Ivory echoed.

"Leader Chili will now send out his last remaining pokemon!" Clyde continued.

"Don't worry, hot stuff, I can still get this battle heated up," Chili called as he threw his next pokeball. From its red light, a familiar monkey appeared. It bore a close resemblance to Gusher and Bianca's Pansage, but this one was obviously a fire-type.

"Pansear, use Incinerate!" Chili shouted. The monkey obeyed, shooting a small ball of flames from its mouth. Excalibur, fatigued from his fight against Lillipup, was unable to dodge entirely. As he was grazed by the fireball, the leafy folds of skin on his back caught on fire. Hissing in pain, Excalibur threw himself onto the dirt of the arena and rolled back and forth to put out the flames. "Now, rush in and use Fury Swipe!" Pansear ran at Excalibur, still rolling about in the flames. Excalibur somehow managed to avoid the first swipe by quickly re-directing his motion mid-roll with his tail. The last of the flames went out, so Excalibur propped himself back onto his feet with another flick of his tail. Right as Excalibur was regaining balance, Pansear surged after him again; it was all Excalibur could do to dodge. Maintaining his vigorous assault, Pansear gave his opponent no chance to stabilize his footing. Excalibur's movements were becoming increasingly more frantic and awkward, as he barely managed to adjust to each new attack between his teeter-totter movements.

Finally, Ivory came up with a strategy. "Excalibur, fend him off with Leaf Tornado!" _We just learned that, so it should be powerful enough to make an opening! _Excalibur spun around in a circle, his tail sweeping around him. Leaves began appearing from the ones on his tail, and they formed into a miniature twister. The Pansear stopped its attack as it was forced to fight against the wind for balance. He seemed relatively unaffected by the swirling debris that kept hitting him, but that made sense considering Pansear was a fire-type.

"Use Incinerate!" Chili suddenly ordered.

Pansear repeated his first attack. The small fireball ignited each of the leaves around them until Leaf Tornado had been transformed into a hellish firestorm. The two pokemon were still caught within. Ivory doubted her Snivy would fare well in the flames.

"Yeah, no. Let's get the heck outta dodge." She brought out the pokeball and recalled Excalibur from the swirling flames. He hissed in disappointment as he dissolved into the red light. Ivory understood his sentiment, that he could keep fighting - but it wasn't worth the inevitable injuries he'd was no way Excalibur could've escaped that last attack unscathed. _Pick your battles, _Ivory told herself. She refocused on the ongoing gym fight. _Ragnarok's strong, but I can't trust him to listen to me, so that means... _"Looks like it's all on you. Go, Lilith!"

Her Purrloin was released from its Ultra Ball in a beam of golden light. The cat pokemon meowed amicably, greeting both its trainer and its opponent. Ivory spoke lowly to the alley cat. "Let's start out with Sand Attack and follow it up with Faint Attack." Lilith lowered her head in acknowledgement before carrying out the command. In an abrupt movement, Lilith sent her tail sweeping around her. Dust was sent clouding around the arena from the action. Beneath the sand cover, Lilith dissolved into shadow before instantly re-appearing behind a dumbstruck Pansear. She rammed into the creature before even its trainer had detected her presence.

"Slick moves, sunshine," Chili praised. "Pansear, let's turn up the heat! Give Incinerate another go!" Pansear huffed in a deep breath, but as he shot the fire attack at Lilith, the Purrloin dissolved into shadow, effectively avoiding the hit. Lilith then took shape beside Pansear, tackling the creature once more.

Ivory blinked in astonishment. She hadn't even thought of using that move as a defensive tactic! But she was more taken aback by Lilith's unprompted execution of Faint Attack. Prior to this battle, her Purloin had rarely taken initiative while training with Ivory. The sudden change didn't ring out as defiance though, rather as an instinctive response to the situation. And it was a pretty amazing tactic to come up with on the spot. Ivory had only considered that move for its use in offense. Lilith was more clever than she let on.

"Use Lick!" Chili ordered, breaking Ivory from her thoughts. Pansear charged at Lilith, hardly deterred by her immediate Faint Attack avoidance. "That's okay, keep at it!"

_Why's he doing that? _Ivory wondered. _Lick is a ghost-type move, and Lilith's a dark-type pokemon. Aren't these the guys always preaching about type advantage? _

Pansear persevered in his effort, wearing Lilith down. Finally, when Lilith ran out of PP for Faint Attack, he finally managed to land a hit on the elusive Purrloin. Lilith cringed as the monkey's oversized tongue came in contact with her fur.

Realizing her pokemon was in ideal range for close combat, Ivory adapted a different strategy. "Lilith, use Fury Swipe!" Lilith wobbled, then launched a paw at Pansear. Chili's monkey easily dodged.

_Why's she so slow- Oh! Lick can have a paralyzing effect, can't it?_

"Crap," Ivory mumbled. "Um, keep at it?" Lilith yowled in dissatisfaction at the lackluster battle plan, but obeyed. She dutifully followed up each sluggish swipe with another, but it was no use. Pansear was having no trouble dodging, despite having been weakened by the previous onslaught of Faint Attacks.

"One more hit should finish him off," Ivory said to herself, "but right now, Lilith's too slow to land anything." Ivory growled in frustration, but she couldn't think of any new attack plans. She could only watch helplessly as Lilith continued her clawed pursuit. "Wait, that's it! Lilith, use Pursuit!"

Lilith obeyed immediately. The Purrloin's eyes flashed yellow and her body shot forward, propelled by a dark energy, to reach the panicked Pansear. Unable to react in time, Pansear received the full brunt of the attack; his limp body skidded back to Chili's feet, unconscious.

"Pansear is unable to battle, and Striaton Gym Leader Chili is out of usable pokemon. Victory goes to Challenger Ivory!" Clyde announced with a professional air.

"Lilith, you did it! Great job!" Ivory cheered. She ran forward onto the arena and scooped up the alley cat, then twirled it around in a circle. "We've won our first Gym battle!"

Chili released his fainted Lilipup and approached the two with a bottle of medicine. After leaning over the two pokemon and administering the revive, he stood up and stretched his arms behind him.

"Woo, I'm burnt out," Chili complained. "That was one heated battle." He pulled a face, remembering his performance, but the expression mellowed out when he saw his pokemon were coming to. "Good battle, you two. Get some rest!" With that, he returned them each to their pokeballs. Then he turned to face Ivory, who was still celebrating with her Purrloin.

"That was a great fight. You're a real fireball," Chili told her. She came to a jerky stop mid-pirouette and coughed awkwardly before scooping up her Purrloin.

"Erm, thanks," she mumbled, still embarrassed by her victory dance. Regaining a bit more composure, she added, "You can just call me 'Ivory', you know. It's hard to know for sure who you're referring to with all these fire nicknames."

Chili brushed that off. "Anyways, since you beat me, you've earned this." He produced a pointed piece of metal. "It's the Trio Badge."

"Oh, wow." Ivory took the badge and studied its shiny surface in wonder for all of a moment. Then she shrugged and placed it in her vest pocket with nonchalance.

"Don't you have a badge case?" Chili asked her, eyebrow raised.

"A what now?"

"IVORY!" a voice interrupted her. Black ran down the stadium stands and leapt into the arena. Ignoring the dust that was kicked up at his landing, he sprinted up to them. "First of all, great job on your battle. I knew you could do it, yada yada yada."

"Well, that was heartfelt," Ivory said, accompanying the sarcasm with her usual eye-roll.

"Well, the novelty of your first gym victory is not really that important right now," Black said with a dismissive flap of his hands. "Wanna know why?" He gave her no time to respond, as he exclaimed the next second, " I convinced the other brother to battle me!"

"What? How?" Ivory squawked in disbelief. "You've already won the Trio Badge."

"Oh yeah." Chili pounded his hand with his fist in recognition. "You're the kid that beat Cilan about a year ago. I knew I'd seen you before."

"If you beat Cilan as a newbie, I don't think it'll be much of a challenge winning now," Ivory remarked.

"Oh, not necessarily," Chili said. "We have to use pokemon within a certain skill range during official Gym Battles, but they're not the only ones on our teams."

Black yelped as Ivory's hair slapped him in his face when she whipped around to face Chili. "Really? You have stronger pokemon?! Then my victory doesn't really mean anything, does it?!" Ivory's cheeks puffed out in annoyance.

Chili shrugged. "We're relatively new gym leaders, so we're assigned to take on the novice challengers. As you accumulate more badges, you'll face harder Gym Leaders as your opponents."

Ivory frowned, but accepted the explanation. She glanced back at her cousin. "So, Black, you're going to face off against Cilan again?"

"Actually," Cress said upon entering the stadium, "I will be Black's opponent."

**so I changed the story's title from 'Expanding One's Pallet' to the current 'Eburnean' which should be easy to fathom out. Also updated the story description a bit.**

**sorry if this chapter is really boring, since it's just battles and junk. i wasn't really interested in writing this, so it took longer to finish. my apologies if it sucks. **

**i'll come back & edit this later. in the meantime, feel free to give me some feedback. :)**


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